President Obama campaigned on Change and now it time to show he means it. He has a chance with his first (of many I hope!) SCOTUS nominees to make real change. Why no make it for a really long time.
This is not a time for half measures. Its time to be bold. We want someone who is the opposite of Harriet Miers. Here is my ideal nominee:
"Minority" - dont really care which one but lets get some kind of range. Maybe an Asian female or a hispanic male. Alternative lifestyle is a plus.
REALLY Progressive - Im talking someone who thinks Kos has gone corporate, Jimmy Carter has lost his way and Al Gore isn't serious because his movie is available on plastic DVDs.
Not a graduate of one of the "Name" law schools - Lest face it, those places are getting old. How about a law school that a lot of people consider their "safe" school in case all the others dont accept them. Fresh ideas! Someone who has been with "the people" not just the elite's.
Someone who really understands the Constitution and is not burdened with hard to explain opinions - confirmation hearings are bound to be tough so get someone with a limited number of decisions to explain. Now I know that is very much like Harriet Miers but you have to give Bush credit for a good idea or two.
And the most important of all...
Someone YOUNG - John Robert's is 54. Ideally you would want to double down on him and get someone 26-27 years old. Get a full medical on the person, gnome and all. Check for cancer flags and all the other bad things that kill people early. Make sure its someone who exercises and maybe even a vegetarian. They could serve for 50, maybe 60 years. Imagine that!!! 1/9th of the Supreme court locked up for three generations!!!
Young people have all kinds of benefits:
They KNOW the law! How could they not, they JUST graduated from law school! If they are halfway bright they haven't forgotten much.
They argue really, really well! Put my 12 year old son on the court and every decision will be progressive!
With any luck, a young Justice will drive some of the old ones to retirement! If President Obama can appoint 3 20somethings to the court in the next few years we cold get REAL change!
He will lock up the young lawyer and law school student vote in 2012! Thats a LOT of votes from a lot of people hoping to be picked for the court. And the pro marijuana population will be easy to get too. It will take a Justice who was a working knowledge of a bong before we will see real reform of drug laws.
I will drive Republicans INSANE!!! Knowing that a Justice appointed by "that black guy" will be on the court until long after they die....OMG it might cause them to die off early!
The confirmation hearing will turn off a HUGE chunk of the electorate to Republicans! I can hear it now - "Your too young" "Not enough experience" "Your views are too radical" "Your school is not very good" "My kids are older" blah blah blah. Replay all those things during the 2010 and 2012 elections and even Republican children will be voting for Democrats!!! Even Young Republican can understand "If you don't give me a chance, how can I get experience?"
President Obama has a historic opportunity and he needs to exploit it for all its worth. He has a friendly Senate, high approval ratings and is following someone universally hated. If people squawk, he can dig up their glowing praise for Miers as proof of their hypocrisy. Could anyone be worse than her? I think not. And what it the point of being the President if you cant leave your stamp on the nation long after you are dead?
Just My Humble Opinion
:)